2009-2010 University of Illinois (UIC) Application Thread

[Bunny1987]

Withdrew my acceptance today...

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[yoman786]

Withdrew my acceptance today...

Any chance you guys were placed into Chicago?

 

[Bunny1987]

Any chance you guys were placed into Chicago?

I was placed in Chicago

 

[MDHopeful14]

Did you send your petition via e-mail or snail mail?! Could you give me the e-mail or the address you sent it to?!

Thanks!!!!

I need to send my petition in as well. Good luck with yours!

medadmit [at] uic [dot] edu

 

[roger12345]

Has anybody heard back from their site petitions yet?
If so, when did you turn it in and how did you find out?
Thanks!

 

[MDHopeful14]

Has anybody heard back from their site petitions yet?
If so, when did you turn it in and how did you find out?
Thanks!

ditto

 

[qmacca]

I had to withdraw a few weeks ago. It would've been great, Chicago!

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

ditto

Here's the catch about petitions. They don't look at them until after May 15th, and even then, there's no real order that they consider each one. Add to that the fact that they really have the option to respond to you whenever they please, up until and including the last day before the first day of classes. Fancy that, heh.

Here's my question though. I'm just about done typing up my petition. On the flip side of them actually granting this thing, is there any possible chance that this could actually be somewhat detrimental? I don't want this to be self-incriminating or anything, because I feel like I'm coming off a little harsh on my assigned site, like almost trash talking it, even though I'm really not trying to. I'm trying to maintain a really respectful demeanor and tone, I just feel really strongly about this. What I'm trying to ask is, this might be a stupid question, but is there any way they could actually rescind their offer of acceptance altogether, if I'm too harsh?

 

[VisionaryTics]

Here's the catch about petitions. They don't look at them until after May 15th, and even then, there's no real order that they consider each one. Add to that the fact that they really have the option to respond to you whenever they please, up until and including the last day before the first day of classes. Fancy that, heh.

Here's my question though. I'm just about done typing up my petition. On the flip side of them actually granting this thing, is there any possible chance that this could actually be somewhat detrimental? I don't want this to be self-incriminating or anything, because I feel like I'm coming off a little harsh on my assigned site, like almost trash talking it, even though I'm really not trying to. I'm trying to maintain a really respectful demeanor and tone, I just feel really strongly about this. What I'm trying to ask is, this might be a stupid question, but is there any way they could actually rescind their offer of acceptance altogether, if I'm too harsh?

Kind of how I feel. I think I may just withdraw my petition if I don't hear anything back by mid-June, just so I can search for an apartment without worrying about having the carpet pulled out from under me.

And I didn't request a transfer because I'm not crazy excited about Urbana/Peoria, I just think Chicago has better options in the clinical years. I didn't say one bad thing about Urbana/Peoria, I just said why I think Chicago would be a good fit for my future goals.

 

[MDHopeful14]

Here's the catch about petitions. They don't look at them until after May 15th, and even then, there's no real order that they consider each one. Add to that the fact that they really have the option to respond to you whenever they please, up until and including the last day before the first day of classes. Fancy that, heh.

Here's my question though. I'm just about done typing up my petition. On the flip side of them actually granting this thing, is there any possible chance that this could actually be somewhat detrimental? I don't want this to be self-incriminating or anything, because I feel like I'm coming off a little harsh on my assigned site, like almost trash talking it, even though I'm really not trying to. I'm trying to maintain a really respectful demeanor and tone, I just feel really strongly about this. What I'm trying to ask is, this might be a stupid question, but is there any way they could actually rescind their offer of acceptance altogether, if I'm too harsh?

I would try to word things nicely. Take another day or even two to think about and possibly rewrite your petition. I doubt that they would be able to rescind their offer of acceptance unless you fail to fulfill one of their requirements (i.e. submitting transcript, commit a serious crime, etc). However, put yourself in their shoes, if you received an unpleasant letter, you would probably be more inclined to deny an individual of his/her request. It could even be detrimental if the recipient(s) of your petition happen(s) to be your future professor(s).

 

[benicar]

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/uiccomdeansletter/


Check out the comments on the signatures pages 1 through 5.

Whether or not the employee in question should have been let go, what is concerning is the consistency and tone of the comments from current and former students.

Do any current students or others have any thoughts on the sentiments echoed...?

 

[startswithb]

Kind of how I feel. I think I may just withdraw my petition if I don't hear anything back by mid-June, just so I can search for an apartment without worrying about having the carpet pulled out from under me.

And I didn't request a transfer because I'm not crazy excited about Urbana/Peoria, I just think Chicago has better options in the clinical years. I didn't say one bad thing about Urbana/Peoria, I just said why I think Chicago would be a good fit for my future goals.

Maybe if you people would have been better applicants, you would've gotten your first choice, seeing as it's first come first served. Anyone can see right through your "better opportunities" request. Think about the people who have families or medical conditions or other actual legitimate reasons for needing a specific location. You both sound like ungrateful whiners. What do you even mean by "better options," anyway? Have you ever visited your school's clinical sites? Do you think the University of Illinois would spend money on regional schools just to have them provide a subpar education? Think about what you are saying, and just be grateful for an acceptance. Because since it's already May, you probably barely got in, anyway.

 

[Eventually]

Just withdrew from Chicago! Incredibly hard decision since it was my top choice but suffice it to say the school certainly didn't do much to make the decision difficult!

 

[benicar]

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/uiccomdeansletter/


Check out the comments on the signatures pages 1 through 5.

Whether or not the employee in question should have been let go, what is concerning is the consistency and tone of the comments from current and former students.

Do any current students or others have any thoughts on the sentiments echoed...?

Any thoughts??? I'm still torn between Loyola and UIC.

 

[islandprincess]

just withdrew, was placed in Chicago. very sad but couldn't stomach 56k in loans per year.

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

Maybe if you people would have been better applicants, you would've gotten your first choice, seeing as it's first come first served. Anyone can see right through your "better opportunities" request. Think about the people who have families or medical conditions or other actual legitimate reasons for needing a specific location. You both sound like ungrateful whiners. What do you even mean by "better options," anyway? Have you ever visited your school's clinical sites? Do you think the University of Illinois would spend money on regional schools just to have them provide a subpar education? Think about what you are saying, and just be grateful for an acceptance. Because since it's already May, you probably barely got in, anyway.

Ouch, wow Starts, way to come of like a total *****, pardon my language, but seriously. Half of it is being the the more competitive applicant, but remember to consider the thousands of applications, many who are very well qualified and deserving, who don't get the shots that others do, maybe even at an earlier interview spot. If you're gonna offer some advice or feedback, try next time not to cram it down the throats of other people who are just expressing their concerns and exploring their options. Yes, I'm very grateful I got in, but the fact of the matter is that there are certain inherent differences in the sites, and that's undeniable. If there weren't, then the competition to be in Chicago would be far less than it is. And no, it's not first come, first serve, it's first accepted, first served. The date you officially get accepted can really come down a large number of reasons, superb applicant or not. Don't go around these forums asserting your own superiority by telling other aspiring physicians that they simply "weren't good applicants". Be helpful or keep it to yourself, because otherwise it's completely unnecessary.

 

[VisionaryTics]

Maybe if you people would have been better applicants, you would've gotten your first choice, seeing as it's first come first served. Anyone can see right through your "better opportunities" request. Think about the people who have families or medical conditions or other actual legitimate reasons for needing a specific location. You both sound like ungrateful whiners. What do you even mean by "better options," anyway? Have you ever visited your school's clinical sites? Do you think the University of Illinois would spend money on regional schools just to have them provide a subpar education? Think about what you are saying, and just be grateful for an acceptance. Because since it's already May, you probably barely got in, anyway.

I never said I wasn't grateful. I am enormously happy with either Peoria or Chicago. I have visited both Chicago and Peoria. My goal is to be an academic physician at a metropolitan research hospital, and the Chicago campus allows rotations through a large number of such places. I intended to apply for the MS is Clinical Translational Science, which I'm pretty sure is only done through the Chicago campus.

"See right through my request"? What is there to see through? I didn't lie in my petition. I explicitly told them that I had no medical/family reasons for being in Chicago, and I also reiterated how I happy I was to be placed in the Urbana/Peoria track. I want to do research. Chicago has more research opportunities. Bingo, petition.

Honestly, go **** yourself. You know nothing about me. So I interviewed in September and was accepted in April. That doesn't mean I should treat every step of my life from this point on like I have no business being there, and I should just be meekly grateful. There was nothing in any of my posts that painted me as an "ungrateful whiner". So unless you feel like adding something helpful, keep your opinions to yourself and try not to come off like a huge ******* to your future classmates.

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

I never said I wasn't grateful. I am enormously happy with either Peoria or Chicago. I have visited both Chicago and Peoria. My goal is to be an academic physician at a metropolitan research hospital, and the Chicago campus allows rotations through a large number of such places. I intended to apply for the MS is Clinical Translational Science, which I'm pretty sure is only done through the Chicago campus.

"See right through my request"? What is there to see through? I didn't lie in my petition. I explicitly told them that I had no medical/family reasons for being in Chicago, and I also reiterated how I happy I was to be placed in the Urbana/Peoria track. I want to do research. Chicago has more research opportunities. Bingo, petition.

Honestly, go **** yourself. You know nothing about me. So I interviewed in September and was accepted in April. That doesn't mean I should treat every step of my life from this point on like I have no business being there, and I should just be meekly grateful. There was nothing in any of my posts that painted me as an "ungrateful whiner". So unless you feel like adding something helpful, keep your opinions to yourself and try not to come off like a huge ******* to your future classmates.

amen! wanna be my roomie? hah

 

[MDHopeful14]

Any thoughts??? I'm still torn between Loyola and UIC.

Speaking for only myself, I would still choose UIC over Loyola even when considering the circumstances of how UIC, a public institution, depends on a state's fiscal health.

My justification, in short, involves:
1. Research opportunities
2. Wealth of student groups
3. Proximity to Cook County and VA hospitals
4. In Chicago, not Maywood (unincorporated, specifically)
5. The students seemed really happy at UIC
6. The gym was awesome!
7. Things that others have already mentioned.

One more thing:
I am not well-informed on the medical education curriculum at Loyola, but the traditional curriculum at UIC may be an issue. I am not sure if it puts students at a disadvantage, but I think that performance on the USMLE Step-1 is still on par (or better) than the national average.

 

[MDHopeful14]

Can anyone tell me the grading system at UIC? I must have spaced out when they discussed this. Also, does anyone know if the curriculum is systems based (reformed) or subject based (traditional)? I know that the school is on the semester system -- is that the same with the College of Medicine?

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

Can anyone tell me the grading system at UIC? I must have spaced out when they discussed this. Also, does anyone know if the curriculum is systems based (reformed) or subject based (traditional)? I know that the school is on the semester system -- is that the same with the College of Medicine?

Grading system (someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the gist of what I understood) is such that tests are competence-based grading. S(satisfactory), O(outstanding, top 15%), and U(I forgot what this stood for, maybe Underscored?) for the first two years. Then, during rotations and shelf-exams, you can get a P(proficient), A(advanced), or O(outstanding), but apparently they've been giving out too many O's, so accreditation wants them to cut down and be more stringent on their scale (damn, heh).....so yea, no A/B/C scales, pretty much P/F type of system.

Curriculum is generally traditional, not systems-based, and they're slowly working in a problems-based component interspersed throughout the second year.

COM is pretty much semester system, not quarter, unlike my annoying undergrad school, so only 2 month summer 4 me this year =(, heh, but I'd check their academic calendars for details. I actually haven't done this myself yet, but some schools give fall breaks and such, really depends.

 

[Pri84]

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

 

[roger12345]

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

Congrats! How did you find out?

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

What the heck? Congrats Pri, that's great news! Odd, though, because they told me multiple times that nothing would be considered until after the 15th. Ahh, I gotta send in my petition asap then!

 

[Pri84]

What the heck? Congrats Pri, that's great news! Odd, though, because they told me multiple times that nothing would be considered until after the 15th. Ahh, I gotta send in my petition asap then!

Maybe they are getting to them earlier because there has been a good movement of people this week from the Chicago campus.

I am just glad that they've granted my petition!

Btw, I received a phone call from the admissions office.
Good luck!

 

[MDHopeful14]

Grading system (someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the gist of what I understood) is such that tests are competence-based grading. S(satisfactory), O(outstanding, top 15%), and U(I forgot what this stood for, maybe Underscored?) for the first two years. Then, during rotations and shelf-exams, you can get a P(proficient), A(advanced), or O(outstanding), but apparently they've been giving out too many O's, so accreditation wants them to cut down and be more stringent on their scale (damn, heh).....so yea, no A/B/C scales, pretty much P/F type of system.

Curriculum is generally traditional, not systems-based, and they're slowly working in a problems-based component interspersed throughout the second year.

COM is pretty much semester system, not quarter, unlike my annoying undergrad school, so only 2 month summer 4 me this year =(, heh, but I'd check their academic calendars for details. I actually haven't done this myself yet, but some schools give fall breaks and such, really depends.

Thanks for the information. I kind of wished they had a quarter system, because I am often burnt out by the end of the long semester.

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

Congrats! When did you submit your petition? What reason(s) did you provide (don't have to be too descriptive/specific for privacy sake)?

 

[VisionaryTics]

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

Congrats! Hoping I hear something either way in the next week then..

 

[BBender716]

Just withdrew, Chicago placement. Best of luck you guys!!!

 

[315280]

Withdrew today. Urbana/Peoria placement. Didn't check on my Chicago placement petition. But already accepted to a couple other schools I'd go to either way my petition went.

Good luck to all of you.

 

[MDHopeful14]

Do you guys think that U Illinois College of Medicine students are at a disadvantage with a traditional medical curriculum when so many other schools have made changes to the way they educate future doctors?

 

[mybubbles14]

Hey guys,

so I just wanted to let you know that my petition for a campus re-placement was accepted today!!!!

yyyyeeeyyy!!!!!


So now I am Chicago bound!

For those of you in the Chicago campus, have you received any information about anything yet?! Any incoming packet yet?

Welcome to Chicago! We haven't received anything yet that I know of unless they haven't updated my address change from months ago

 

[Pri84]

[/QUOTE]
Congrats! When did you submit your petition? What reason(s) did you provide (don't have to be too descriptive/specific for privacy sake)?[/QUOTE]

I submitted my petition last week to the admissions office but I re-sent it on Tuesday directly to Dr. Girotti. I really wasn't expecting anything before next week so I was REALLY happy!!!! My petition was family-based due to my husband's graduate school, which is in the Chicago area.

Now I am just waiting for more information about the Chicago program. I really wouldn't mind going through the UPR track if I didn't have a family and have to worry about their future as well.. The Urbana program is REALLY organized! They had sent me all their Incoming information packet and online you could see your whole class schedule for M1 already. So for those of you who end up going there, I am sure you will have a wonderful education and experience there.

Good luck to all those though that have petitioned to be replaced to the Chicago track. It seems like there is a lot of ppl withdrawing who were originally given the Chicago placement.

Today is May 15th so really... anything can happen come Monday!!!!

 

[Snoopy2006]

MDHopeful - What exactly are you referring to by 'traditional' curriculum? The lack of block scheduling? The O/P/F grading system?

In any case, I'm interested to any answers to the question as well.

Congrats on the (re-)placement, Pri! Good to hear considering your family circumstances.

 

[MDHopeful14]

MDHopeful - What exactly are you referring to by 'traditional' curriculum? The lack of block scheduling? The O/P/F grading system?

In any case, I'm interested to any answers to the question as well.

Congrats on the (re-)placement, Pri! Good to hear considering your family circumstances.

I was referring to the university's non-systems based curriculum.

This website offers a very brief explanation: http://www.higher-ed.info/choose-medical-school.html

 

[benicar]

Withdrew via email today. Chicago Placement.

UIC is a wonderful place to study medicine and in my opinion provides the best clinical training in all of Chicago. If my life circumstances were different it would have been UIC COM all the way.

Good luck to everyone.

 

[onewayout]

Hey everybody,

I was wondering if anybody had recieved any information about UIC's Campus Care student insurance.

I currently haven't heard anything from the university directly, but I did a little research via:
http://www.uic.edu/hsc/campuscare/

It looks like a pretty decent policy (400 bones a semester, 100% coverage on physicians visits, etc), but I'd like to hear if anyone knows in what kind of esteem it's held by students.

Are you guys opting out?

 

[VisionaryTics]

I submitted my petition last week to the admissions office but I re-sent it on Tuesday directly to Dr. Girotti. I really wasn't expecting anything before next week so I was REALLY happy!!!! My petition was family-based due to my husband's graduate school, which is in the Chicago area.

Now I am just waiting for more information about the Chicago program. I really wouldn't mind going through the UPR track if I didn't have a family and have to worry about their future as well.. The Urbana program is REALLY organized! They had sent me all their Incoming information packet and online you could see your whole class schedule for M1 already. So for those of you who end up going there, I am sure you will have a wonderful education and experience there.

Good luck to all those though that have petitioned to be replaced to the Chicago track. It seems like there is a lot of ppl withdrawing who were originally given the Chicago placement.

Today is May 15th so really... anything can happen come Monday!!!!

Did you send it by snail mail or e-mail?

 

[ismailidoc]

Has anyone heard anything today???? I am talking about the "still waiting to hear back since the interview" people....Today is the 17th....do you know when they start the wait-list??? does anyone know if the committee met today???
I interviewed on the last day of interviews and I have been decision pending since then....

 

[desiguyloyola]

Hey Ismailidoc...I interviewed on the 31st of March and my status is still, "decision pending" as well. Arghhh...when are they going to decide? I really thought it was going to be by this weekend. Good luck to you!

 

[MDHopeful14]

Has anyone heard anything today???? I am talking about the "still waiting to hear back since the interview" people....Today is the 17th....do you know when they start the wait-list??? does anyone know if the committee met today???
I interviewed on the last day of interviews and I have been decision pending since then....

Hey Ismailidoc...I interviewed on the 31st of March and my status is still, "decision pending" as well. Arghhh...when are they going to decide? I really thought it was going to be by this weekend. Good luck to you!

Good luck to you both as well as everyone else who's still waiting...

 

[ismailidoc]

Hey Ismailidoc...I interviewed on the 31st of March and my status is still, "decision pending" as well. Arghhh...when are they going to decide? I really thought it was going to be by this weekend. Good luck to you!

Good luck to you both as well as everyone else who's still waiting...

Thank you both! I feel like I waited and held my breath for so long, if I get accepted, then I am just gonna go and pass out

btw, desiguyloyola, do you go to luc?????....if so then we might know each other

 

[MaryLennox]

withdrew today. i was placed in Chicago too (and only accepted like a few weeks ago, so it appears Chicago spots are becoming available.)

Has anyone heard anything today???? I am talking about the "still waiting to hear back since the interview" people....Today is the 17th....do you know when they start the wait-list??? does anyone know if the committee met today???
I interviewed on the last day of interviews and I have been decision pending since then....

i was decision pending for like 6 months. when i finally got accepted at the end of april i got placed in chicago. so dont give up yet. i was convinced i was just a rejection waiting to happen.

 

[weffinator]

Haha, I have had "Decision Pending" since September.

 

[Pri84]

Did you send it by snail mail or e-mail?

I sent my petition via e-mail to the admissions office and to Dr. Girotti.

 

[EvaSwitchBox20]

Has anyone heard anything today???? I am talking about the "still waiting to hear back since the interview" people....Today is the 17th....do you know when they start the wait-list??? does anyone know if the committee met today???

Hey Ismailidoc...I interviewed on the 31st of March and my status is still, "decision pending" as well. Arghhh...when are they going to decide? I really thought it was going to be by this weekend. Good luck to you!

So this is sort of what I originally thought, too: May 15th hits, and we hear all sorts of new immediately. Sounds like that's not exactly the case. Yes, May 15th is big, but the onus is more on applicants with multiple acceptances to take action and decide. Admissions offices just sit back and wait for the dust to settle to then meet up again towards the end of the month, just as they've done every freagin' month prior, heh, and make a bunch of new decisions because they've got lots of news. We'll hear news the same time this month as any. Good luck to you both!!

withdrew today. i was placed in Chicago too (and only accepted like a few weeks ago, so it appears Chicago spots are becoming available.)

i was decision pending for like 6 months. when i finally got accepted at the end of april i got placed in chicago. so dont give up yet. i was convinced i was just a rejection waiting to happen.

That's pretty amazing you got placed in Chicago, sorry to hear you had to turn it down, but I'm sure you'll do well at another school, just the same, good luck! I'm really surprised that you got Chicago in April, though? I thought it was first accepted, first choice though? Did you have any extenuating circumstances? If you don't mind me asking (I'm on the petition route right now) Thanks in advance

I sent my petition via e-mail to the admissions office and to Dr. Girotti.

So I saw someone else do this, too. Did you change who the letter was addressed to when you sent it to Dr. Girotti, as in "Dear Dr. Girotti, vs Dear Admissions committee?" Or did you still just keep it addressed to the committee as a whole, but just so he was immediately aware of it?
Thanks in advance

Good luck to all those still waiting! If there's one thing this process has taught me, it's to never give up, and keep pushing forward and being active.

 

[Pri84]

So I saw someone else do this, too. Did you change who the letter was addressed to when you sent it to Dr. Girotti, as in "Dear Dr. Girotti, vs Dear Admissions committee?" Or did you still just keep it addressed to the committee as a whole, but just so he was immediately aware of it?
Thanks in advance
.

I addressed my petition to Dr. Girotti. Well, I actually met him personally during my interview day so when I wrote him I was more like explaining my situation and asking him for advice more than anything. He then replied (very fast, like one hour later) saying that he would consider my e-mail to him as my official petition (not the official petition that I had attached to the e-mail). My petition was granted 2 days later... yey!

Good luck to you!

and thanks for all the good wishes you guys have sent me! I really hope to get to meet some of you soon.

Is anyone here attending the Chicago SPP?

 

[sdHopeful]

Is anyone here attending the Chicago SPP?

Pri84,

what's the Chicago SPP?

 

[Pri84]

Pri84,

what's the Chicago SPP?

It's the Summer pre-matriculation program at UIC. There is also one at the Urbana-Champaign campus. It's basically for those, like me, that were given a "conditional acceptance" to UIC. We need to complete this 6 weeks summer program with a B or better in order to be "completely" accepted. It's actually really neat because you get to see the most difficult subjects of M1 during this time and you have a lot of support to get through it. It is a good prep for M1. The other cool thing is that the same faculty that teaches M1 will teach during the SPP.

Anyways, I haven't heard of many ppl in this thread who is doing it and I was just wondering if I am going to see any of you in a couple of weeks!

 

[herewego]

Anyone have any idea when they'll meet to look at petitions again?

My petition for chicago was due to legit family related medical reasons/responsibilities. Currently holding UIC and another acceptance, so it's literally coming down to the wire for me...if they don't say anything about my petition soon I'm gonna have to just drop UIC and go to the other school.

 

[VisionaryTics]

Anyone have any idea when they'll meet to look at petitions again?

My petition for chicago was due to legit family related medical reasons/responsibilities. Currently holding UIC and another acceptance, so it's literally coming down to the wire for me...if they don't say anything about my petition soon I'm gonna have to just drop UIC and go to the other school.

I sent in my petition at the end of the first week of May, and I received a call this morning, so not even two weeks for me. Unfortunately, I missed the call and have to call back tomorrow morning to find out what the decision was .